Welcome 2025 SDAO Conference Attendees!

It was nice to connect at the Special Districts Association of Oregon (SDAO) conference. As a former public works director with over 30 years of experience working for a public entity, organizations like SDAO are instrumental in assisting special service districts with training, resources, and other support programs.

I joined 3J Consulting last year and have enjoyed bringing my specialized expertise to organizations like yours to help with various administrative, technical, and managerial duties. Whether your agency needs staff augmentation or help mentoring staff you have, our team can scale our support to meet your needs.

Regulatory Compliance Guidance

The regulatory environment is everchanging and complex. Typically, the agency looks to its public works department for expertise on rate setting, planning policy, long term capital improvement planning, and community engagement. Having someone with years of understanding in Oregon, and inside the complexities of the metro area, to help navigate regulatory confusion can help set up the organization for success.

Strategic Planning Support

Opportunities to coordinate department work with other agency departments are often missed. We can help with strategic planning to identify the best ways to accomplish community goals and objectives. We offer a variety of techniques from providing staff guidance to helping manage the problem directly to ensure a successful understanding and acceptable delivery of service.

Our commitment is to work collaboratively with the Agency staff to help prioritize and develop a support program that meets your agency’s needs, including:

• Public works planning, design, maintenance, and construction
• Public and private infrastructure navigation
• Budget preparation and expenditure control
• Federal, State, and local laws and regulations
• Staff evaluation and training
• Public involvement and communication
• Engagement techniques with city officials, employees, contractors, the public, and representatives of other agencies
• Program and project analysis, evaluation, and implementation
• Plan, organize, and direct the work
• Organizational and administrative problem analysis
• Effective management skills
• Safe work practices

John Lewis, PE, joined 3J in the Fall of 2024 after working in the public sector for 30+ years. His experience includes fostering community buy-in on programs like the Oregon City Annual Pavement Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program, multiple utility rate/SDC studies, water, sewer, stormwater and transportation Master Plan updates, and familiarity with local improvement district code. John also managed the new award-winning Oregon City Engineering and Operations Facility.

John has experience with reimagining and project coordination on several boulevard projects from his time at the City of Oregon City and the City of Lake Oswego.

• Oregon City: Projects included multiple phases of Molalla Avenue, McLoughlin Blvd, and Washington Street. Each of the projects included elements of modernization combined with the community concerns about honoring Oregon City’s historic values.
• Lake Oswego: Projects included A Avenue, Meadows Road, and Bangy Road. The projects entailed design elements that set Lake Oswego apart as Oregon’s most affluent community.